Usually, Henry Waxman (pictured left) and John Dingell expend their energy berating pharma or some other industry for alleged bad behavior. Now, though, the two seasoned pols are fighting one another over leadership of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, which Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, currently chairs.

Waxman, who is the second-ranking Democrat on the E&C committee, chairs the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, which isn’t as powerful and will probably not be as sexy now that a Democrat will again occupy the White House, The Wall Street Journal notes.

So last week, Waxman, 69, sent a letter to House Democrats seeking support, writing that, while he admires Dingell, the 82-year-old lawmaker will have served as the E&C committee’s top Democrat for 28 years. “I do not take the step of challenging John lightly,” Waxman wrote, according to the newspaper. “But after 28 years, we need new leadership.” Dingell is circulating his own letter touting the committee’s accomplishments, the paper adds.

If Waxman wins, pharma will have one less powerful critic. Under Dingell’s tutelage, the E&C committee has recently begun probes of Bayer DTC ads; Wyeth vitamin claims and dog drug ingredients; Amgen pricing; the Ranbaxy scandal; and Merck and Schering-Plough over the Vytorin controversy. He also made headlines for skinning FDA commish Andy von Eschenbach.

For his part, Waxman has railed against the FDA push in favor of preemption and the agency’s stance toward off-label promotion. He recently called Medicare Part D a windfall for pharma and urged the US Trade Rep to respect compulsory licensing.